Latest death in Palestinian family shows “destructive nature” of extremism

The UN Middle East envoy on Monday expressed sadness at the death of a Palestinian woman whose husband and infant son were killed following the firebombing of their home in July.

Reham Dawabsha succumbed to the serious wounds she sustained in the incident.

Dianne Penn reports.

Mrs Dawabsha died on the eve of her 27th birthday, according to UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov.

In a statement, he said his thoughts and prayers are with her family, especially her four-year-old son Ahmed, who is now an orphan.

The Dawabsha home, located in the West Bank, was targeted by arsonists in an overnight attack in late July. Ali, the youngest member of the family, died in the incident. His father, Sa'ad, died a week later.

The UN envoy said this tragedy was a "shocking example of the destructive nature of extremism."

Mr Mladenov repeated his call for justice and expressed concern over lack of progress in identifying and prosecuting the perpetrators.

He urged political, religious and community leaders on all sides to speak out against those who incite hatred.